How to Get the Most from a Gallon of Gas

How to Get the Most from a Gallon of Gas

LAURA MECKLER

May. 06, 1996

WASHINGTON (AP) _ If it seems the gas guzzler you're driving is sucking your wallet dry, there are a few ways to slow the flow.

Shop around for the cheapest station. Get a tuneup. Drive more slowly. Don't use the air conditioner. And stop buying premium gasoline if your car doesn't need it _ and few do.

Little things add up, auto specialists say.

With prices jumping as much as 20 cents a gallon in the last three months, consumers are taking notice, said David Van Sickle, director of automotive engineering for the American Automobile Association.

``When gas was cheap, nobody cared,'' Van Sickle said. ``Now when it costs you another $5 to fill up, you start having second thoughts.''

Some advise consumers to go about their business and keep buying at their favorite station, saying prices eventually will drop.

``Grin and bear it,'' said Stanley Schuer, executive director of the Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers Association. ``Just dig in a little deeper.''

But if consumers are as upset about gas prices as politicians think they are, they do have options.

Among them:

_Shop around. Gas prices can vary by as much as 15 cents per gallon in one area, and while different brands of gasoline have different additives, they are all pretty much the same, Van Sickle said.

``You don't have to worry about shopping around for a name-brand gas,'' he said. ``It turns around so rapidly, there's no such things as old gas or stale gas.''

_Look for bargains. Some stations will run ``Wacky Wednesdays'' or similar promotions discounting prices. But oil companies have no coordinated discounts, so you have to try to spot specials.

_Keep your tires inflated to proper pressure and your engine tuned. Under-inflated tires can reduce mileage by up to 5 percent, Van Sickle said. Tuning up a badly out-of-tune car can increase mileage by up to 20 percent, according to the Shell Oil Co.

_Use the right grade of gasoline. Van Sickle said only 5 percent of cars need premium gasoline, although 20 percent of motorists buy it.

``They think they're giving their car a treat,'' he said. ``They think they get more power, it burns better and keeps their engine clean. But that's simply not true.''

Premium gas, which costs on average 17 cents more per gallon than regular, does nothing for cars that do not require it, Van Sickle said.

_Don't waste fuel. ``It's better to turn off the engine if you're going to be in the line a long time,'' said Joseph Lastelic, spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry trade group.